I want to begin today by putting in a plug for the staff at NAESP. I sat in the staff’s headquarters office for a little while on Friday as I waited to talk to one of the staff members. I have to tell you that there is a lot more that goes on behind the scenes than one could ever imagine. I won’t mention names because I am sure I would leave someone out, but Kudos to all of the NAESP staff for their hard work in making the national convention the success it is each year!
I began my day yesterday with the second General Session. Former Secretary of State Gen. Colin L. Powell, USA (Ret.) was the speaker. He is the founder of America’s Promise Alliance, which is an organization that partners with nearly 250 other organizations to provide wraparound support so that children can stay in school and succeed. Although he spoke highly of public education in general, he did point out the alarming rate at which minorities are dropping out of high school. He stated: “kids start dropping out at first and second grade,” and “kids who are behind act like they are behind.” One of my favorite statements he made spoke of the need for more family involvement. “Kids need more lap-top time, and I don’t mean the computer kind,” said Powell. A kid coming to kindergarten knowing how to behave is a skill that could be taught during lap-top time.
In my opinion, the most crucial idea that Colin Powell shared is the importance for what he calls “An Expectation of Success.” He stated that dropping out of school was never an option when he was going through school and there was no choice whether or not he would attend college. His fear is that many of our children have lost the hope that they can be successful. I know that I have told my staff on more than one occasion that in some instances, they are the one adult in some of their student’s lives to encourage and exhibit high expectations.
The second stop for my day was the Zone 7 meeting, which was led by Zone 7 Director Rob Munson-SD. Although there were very good concurrent sessions being offered during this time slot, I felt it was more important to attend this meeting because it is the best place to find out what is happening at the national level and it is an excellent opportunity to share concerns and ideas that are then brought back to the NAESP Board of Directors. At this meeting, we also were introduced to our national candidates and talked about important topics such as electronic voting for the national election, possible changes to the time that the national convention may take place, and the possibility of having a Zone 7 booth at national convention instead of individual state booths.
The State Editors’ meeting is always one of my favorite meetings at the national convention. We are a close knit group, and we are constantly looking for ways to improve our publications and to help each other. I would encourage anyone that has publication duties for their state to contact me so that I can share the support options that are available to you. I would like to thank Deborah Bongiorno (NAESP) for attending the meeting and for her promise of support for our group.   
The national convention experience does not end with the last concurrent session of each day. Many zones and states take time to meet in a social setting during the convention. Last night, I was privileged to meet with the elementary principals from North Dakota for supper. You would think that we see each other all the time, but there are several that I only see a few times a year. After supper, we took in the ice cream social and karaoke party put on by NAESP. There is a rumor going around that a certain blogger from NAESP was the man at the head of the conga line. I'm not quite sure how that happened.
I would love to hear your comments or suggestions about what other convention events you are interested in hearing about!

Today is the first full day of the convention. I reviewed the itinerary that I created through the NAESP Web site to make sure that the sessions I had looked at earlier were still the ones that I wanted to attend today. Narrowing down the options has not been an easy task.
My first session was entitled “Get Smart: Tools for 21st Century Leaders.” I serve as the elementary principal for my school, but I am also the K-12 technology coordinator. I always try to find some sessions that will help me with that area of my responsibilities. A large part of the session dealt with SmartBoards and their use in the classroom. If you have a SmartBoard question, RoseAnne O’Brien Vojtek would be an awesome resource. The presenters also provided a list of helpful Web sites as well as some vendors that their schools use for technology needs that are high-quality, reputable, and very competitive. That information might end up being the most helpful from the whole session!  
The presenters also talked about the three R’s: rigor, relevance, and relationships. Because technology makes a lot of content available to all in a very quick manner, schools are challenged with applying the three R’s to that content in order to make their students productive citizens in this ever changing world.
The first general session was in the speaker’s phrase, “Info-Whelming.” Ian Jukes is a top ten education speaker who challenged the audience’s assumptions about education, especially when looking at how technology has affected it and will continue to affect it in the future. My “tech coordinator” mind was spinning at high speed as he shared all the changes that have come to pass and are coming at us like a freight train. The problem is that the speed at which change is taking place is exponentially accelerating and our ability to comprehend can not move that fast, hence the term: info-whelming.
I also attended the “Grand Opening” for the exhibit hall. It is really nice to have a lot of the top education vendors all under one roof. I don’t know about you, but I would much rather visit with someone face to face then over the phone or by e-mail. The vendors are of course a very important part of the national convention. Hopefully many of my peers will take advantage of the opportunity to visit the exhibits.
I did not attend a concurrent session this afternoon because I was scheduled to work at the North Dakota state booth. I have worked at the booth in previous years and have found it to be a lot of fun. We are sharing a booth with Minnesota (an attempt to be more fiscally responsible), and we appreciate their willingness to work cooperatively. I really enjoyed visiting with all the principals that came by to sign up for our prizes.  
The Welcome Reception will take place later tonight, but I wanted to mention it because it is a great time to see old friends and make new ones. If you can find friendlier folks than elementary principals, I would like to meet them. As I stated in my initial post, taking time to strengthen and create professional relationships is an important part of the national convention experience.
It has been another exciting and professionally stimulating day. My wish is that everyone would have the opportunity to attend at least one national convention during their tenure. If your school doesn’t support travel to a national convention, I would be more then glad to write your school board president or your superintendent to plead your case. That’s all for now; I look forward to reporting to you in the coming days.

My first day at this year’s national convention will be one that I will never forget. I was fortunate to be involved with NAESP’s service project. One hundred NAESP members loaded buses at 8 a.m. to head out to three schools and a park in New Orleans to help with a beautification project that the district has been trying to complete since Hurricane Katrina hit this community. 
When I arrived at my volunteer school, I was awestruck when the principal showed me the high water mark. He said that the water from that point on the wall to the street was five feet deep. I left a state that is battling flooding so this really hit home with me. 
My group worked to replace unattractive weeds with landscaping. When we left, there was new sod, trees and flower gardens that would make any school proud. I can’t begin to tell you how good it felt to be part of this group.
The work was hard but despite rain “soaking to the bone,” the group kept at it. Nothing was going to keep us from finishing the task. One of the gentlemen that worked for the company that had been hired to oversee the project told me that he was not looking forward to “babysitting” a bunch of principals. By the end of the day, we had earned his admiration. We worked so fast that they added a project at the end because we still had time left. 
I worked with people from all over the United States. One gal told me that elementary and middle school principals only know one speed and that speed is “GO”. There were times that I think we made the folks from the management company dizzy. They thought we should all sign up for another day’s worth of work.
I think I can speak for most of the group: We were drained by the end. And although we are looking forward to the regular routine of speakers and break-out sessions, this day will always be one that we will remember. Hopefully, the kids and patrons of those schools will be reminded each time they look at the beautiful scenery and landscaping that caring principals helped make it happen.
I applaud NAESP for working to set up this important service project. I can’t remember a time that I have been more proud to be a NAESP member.
I’ll be back with another report soon!

NAESP’s 88th Convention & Exposition kicks off tomorrow, Thursday, April 2. Thousands of principals and educators from around the nation will be meeting in New Orleans to focus on leadership and professional development! The convention gives principals the tools to transform learning communities, and features dynamic speakers, a volunteer service day, and dozens of concurrent sessions.
To give you a firsthand account of these spectacular events, the Principals’ Office blog will feature guest blogger David M. Hanson. Follow David’s coverage of convention highlights, and don’t forget that you can ask him questions by leaving a comment at the end of the post.  
You can access more up-to-date convention coverage at the Convention News Online Web page, where you will find convention articles, Twitter updates, photos, and video.
 
Greetings from North Dakota      
My name is David M. Hanson and for the second year in a row I am going to be serving as NAESP’s blogger for the national convention. I am the elementary principal for the Wyndmere Public Schools in Wyndmere, North Dakota. We are a small rural, public K-12 school located in Southeast North Dakota.
I serve as the state editor for the North Dakota Association of Elementary School Principals (NDAESP). I have also served in most all of the NDAESP leadership chairs, which has allowed me to attend several national conventions and several national leaders’ conferences. I am involved with NAESP through the state editors group: I administrate a Web site for the state editors as well as a list-serve. 
If you have checked out the agenda for the conference, you will share my thoughts on the dilemma of picking just one speaker during each concurrent session. It appears that NAESP has done a wonderful job of preparing an awesome slate of speakers and sessions. I am looking forward to meeting with the state editors’ group as well as attending the National Distinguished Principals’ reunion. My advice is to take in as much as you can and to make sure to save some time to visit with your peers from across the nation. The networking opportunities at a national convention are top notch! 
I look forward to sharing my journey with you!David

For three years, NAESP has been promoting reading aloud to students through the its annual Principal’s Read Aloud Award program.
Check out the five nominated books and vote for the one you think should be honored with the award. Voting has been extended to Friday, Jan. 16. There will be a presentation to the winning author in April 2009 during NAESP’s Annual Convention and Exposition in New Orleans.
The National Principals Resource Center offers all five titles at reasonable rates—buy them for your school library if you don’t already have them. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to offer your students another avenue to improving reading skills!

In addition to covering what’s new at NAESP, this year’s Principals’ Office blog has engaged in topics such as the federal budget, principal pay, diversity, mentoring, instructional leadership, and NCLB.

To coincide with the end of the school year, the Principals’ Office editors are taking a summer hiatus. But feel free to peruse the archives and make sure to check back in the fall for new posts and series.

NAESP's executive director Gail Connelly announced the launch of the National Elementary Honor Society (NEHS) at the Opening General Session during NAESP's annual convention. Connelly was joined onstage for the announcement of this new program by Gerald Tirozzi, the executive director of the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP). Connelly and Tirozzi presented the first NEHS charter to Shepardson Elementary School, where NAESP President Mary Kay Sommers is principal.

"Whole child development is imperative for our schools to be successful," said Connelly. "The National Elementary Honor Society is a great way for schools to focus on this development and to recognize our young students for their accomplishments in leadership and service. We are excited about providing schools with the opportunity to participate in such a prestigious program and to help develop our nation's future leaders."

NASSP administers the National Honor Society™ (NHS) and the National Junior Honor Society™ (NJHS) and the NEHS was created to help schools give students in grades 4-6 national recognition for their accomplishments.

"The National Honor Society and the National Junior Honor Society have done a tremendous job of giving outstanding students the recognition they deserve for excellence in some of the most important aspects of their lives," said Tirozzi. "We are confident that the National Elementary Honor Society will enrich the education and the educational experience of younger students as well."

Incidentally, a study commissioned by the Girl Scouts of the USA found that young people ranked "being a leader" behind other goals such as "fitting in," "making a lot of money" and "helping animals or the environment." The results were published in a recent issue of The Washington Post. What do you think? How important is it for students to see themselves as leaders? How do these findings measure up to the leadership potential among students at your school? What can schools do to increase leadership skills in their students?

The Principals’ Office took a brief hiatus during this year’s annual convention and exposition in Nashville. We had a terrific time meeting and talking with principals from across the country and abroad. If you haven’t done so already, please check out NAESP’s Convention News Online (http://web.naesp.org/convNews/) to read some terrific articles on convention speakers and events, posts from guest blogger David Hanson (from North Dakota), and to browse through a photo gallery of convention attendees and speakers.  NAESP's 88th Annual Convention and Exposition, April 2-6, 2009, will be the place for principals to start building everything from learning communities to neighborhood communities in New Orleans. You can find out more info about next year's convention at www.naesp.org.

It’s true what they say—time really does fly when you’re having fun. Here at headquarters, we’re all having fun gearing up for NAESP’s 87th Annual Convention & Exposition in Nashville, which is less than one week away.

What should you do now to ensure that you get the best out of Convention? Use the Convention itinerary tracker to plan your schedule before you arrive. You can find sessions on topics ranging from school policies, teacher recruitment, meeting AYP, or bully prevention by going to the Convention Web page and clicking on the Itinerary Planner on the left side of the screen. The planner allows you to search for sessions by track, speaker, or format.

NAESP’s 87th Annual Convention and Exposition is just four weeks away. Elementary and middle school principals from across the country (and abroad) will travel to Nashville’s Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center (April 4-8) to network, learn, and lead.

This year’s convention will feature dynamic keynote speakers: Daniel Pink, an expert on innovation and competition and author of A Whole New Mind (Sat., April 5 at 3:30 p.m.); political pundits James Carville & Mary Matalin (Sun., April 6 at 1:00 p.m.); and Consuelo Castillo Kickbusch, Lt. Col. and founder of Educational Achievement Services Inc. (Mon., April 7 at 3:30 p.m.). Former Nashville mayor Bill Purcell will also lead the Diversity Forum, a panel of leaders reflecting on the challenges of serving diverse learning communities (Sat., April 5 at 12:30 p.m.).

Other highlights include sessions covering issues important to principals, including No Child Left Behind, school leadership, and early childhood education; and the presentation of NAESP’s second annual Principal’s Read Aloud Award, which was created to recognize and support quality children’s books and encourage principals to read to children.

For more information on this year’s convention, visit www.naesp.org.

Our nation’s schools are faced with unprecedented challenges, and educators are working to create and maintain effective learning communities to help children reach their highest potential. However, the Fiscal Year 2009 budget proposal that President Bush delivered to Congress this week fails to adequately fund essential programs to prepare the nation’s students for the bright futures that they deserve.

President Bush’s final budget request calls for $59.2 billion for federal education programs—which represents a cut in total spending— and seeks to eliminate funding for 47 programs and to freeze funding for many others.

Read NAESP’s reaction to the President's budget and full budget analysis.   

The winner of NAESP’s second annual Principal’s Read Aloud Award is Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type (written by Doreen Cronin and illustrated by Betsy Lewin). Over 900 principals from across the country voted for Click, Clack, Moo, a charming tale about Farmer Brown and his barn full of literate cows.

The Principal's Read Aloud Award program recognizes quality children’s books and encourages principals to read aloud to their students. The presentation of the Read Aloud Award will be made during NAESP’s Annual Convention and Exposition in Nashville on Monday, April 7 at 10 a.m.

To begin the selection process for the 2009 award, NAESP is asking members to nominate a favorite title. If you have a book that you have enjoyed reading to children, please submit the title, author/illustrator, and publisher along with your name to childrensbookaward@naesp.org. We are looking for books that are currently in print and therefore readily available to our members. We look forward to honoring great children’s books and appreciat e your participation in the process.

Over the last few weeks, there have been a number of articles published on the issue of “highly qualified” or “highly effective” principals, including a December 12 article (“Policy Focus Turning to Principal Quality”) in Education Week. NAESP opposes the establishment of a federal definition of a “highly qualified” or “highly effective” principal (or any similar definition). Listing criteria in federal law would, we believe, lead to judging principal quality fully or in large part on the basis of test scores. The best way for the federal government to help create and maintain excellent principals is to require states and districts to provide principals with high-quality ongoing professional development, beginning with mentoring in the early years and lasting throughout a principal’s career, and to provide funds to help states in that work.

NAESP supports the authorization of funds for an independently designed and implemented program of voluntary national certification for principals. We believe the model of the board certification program for teachers established by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards is an excellent one, and would like for the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards to create and implement it.

NAESP’s ESEA reauthorization recommendations detail what the Association believes should be changed to make ESEA more effective and less punitive on the nation’s schools, including ensuring that schools are well-staffed by well-qualified professionals.

Every year, NAESP publishes the latest edition of Ideas that Work, a collection of ideas that shares some of the best practices and tips from the current year’s National Distinguished Principals. Their ideas for staff motivation, student recognition, curriculum innovations, school climate, and parent involvement will help you set up new programs in your school without having to reinvent the wheel. 

In the December 2007 issue of Communicator, NAESP Executive Director Gail Connelly writes, “As leaders we have to sift, sort, coach, and create a process to determine which ideas get the time, attention, and funding needed to bring them to full life and make them fly.” What are some of your own ideas that that have proved successful over the years? Which ideas from the Ideas that Work series stand out the most for you?

What do a wide-mouthed frog, a friendly fish, a kid who loves sweets, Farmer Brown, and Dogzilla have in common? They are characters in the five books that are finalists for the 2008 NAESP Principal’s Read Aloud Award.

Read the five nominated books out loud to your students and vote for the one you think should be honored with the award. The National Principals Resource Center offers all five titles at reasonable rates—buy them for your school library if you don’t already have them. 

Once you’ve read each book, go to http://vovici.com/wsb.dll/s/4282g2d84e to vote. There will be a presentation to the winning author in April 2008 during NAESP’s Annual Convention and Exposition in Nashville.

NAESP is also taking nominations for the 2009 award. If you have a book you have enjoyed reading to children, submit your name and the title, author/illustrator, and publisher of a book currently in print and readily available to childrensbookaward@naesp.org.

School principals are in the blogosphere, they’re podcasting, and now they’re on YouTube. Four NAESP members are featured on YouTube in a 60-second public service announcement discussing the future of schools and the Vision 2021 initiative. You can access the video on the YouTube Web site by typing “NAESP” into the search engine.

YouTube is just two years old but continues to be a favorite site for sharing and viewing short video clips and has even made a mark in the political arena. Earlier this year, CNN aired a presidential debate and candidates answered questions submitted by YouTube users.

According to Nielsen/NetRatings, nearly 100 million video clips are viewed daily on YouTube and the site averages nearly 20 million visitors per month. Now we can add school principals to the list!

The Principals’ Office turns 1 today. During the past year we have covered topics like the reauthorization of ESEA, the future of schools and education, and educating the whole child—which have garnered close to 30,000 visitors and many insightful comments. In the year ahead, you can look forward to more engaging posts that connect you with your colleagues.

Since its debut, the Principals’ Office has been joined by NAESP state affiliate blogs from Texas, North Dakota, and Washington. Here’s to another year in the blogosphere.

NAESP, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Education, held its annual National Distinguished Principals program last Thursday and Friday and it was a great success. Sixty-one outstanding elementary and middle school principals from schools across the nation and abroad were honored at the Capitol Hilton Hotel in Washington, D.C.

During the program, principals described how receiving the award has positively impacted them in their communities. It was such a treat to hear them discuss their commitment to their schools and communities and it’s great for them to receive the recognition they deserve. Several principals were interviewed during the program by their local TV news affiliates and many others have been featured in their local newspapers. (Some of the articles can be read on the NAESP Web site at http://www.naesp.org/ContentLoad.do?contentId=1724.)

A black-tie awards banquet on Friday capped the two-day event. Gail Connelly, NAESP’s executive director, and Ray Simon, the deputy secretary for the Department of Education, thanked the principals for their tremendous dedication to their schools and communities. Congrats to the 2007 Class of National Distinguished Principals. Simply the best!

As we mentioned earlier this week, NAESP is running a Proud to be a Principal campaign through November 15. But we want to hear from you. Tell us, and your colleagues, why you’re proud to be in a profession that impacts millions of students, thousands of teachers, and hundreds of communities.

Trumpet your successes and your role as a school leader and share your proud to be a principal moment here on the Principals’ Office. If you want to learn more about the campaign or listen to a Proud to be a Principal sound byte, featuring NAESP's executive director Gail Connelly, visit www.naesp.org.

NAESP invites you to let everyone know that you’re PROUD TO BE A PRINCIPAL! From October 1—November 15, 2007, we encourage you to trumpet your successes and your role as a school leader. You play an important role in your community and the lives of the children you serve. Now is your time to shine! To get you started, below is a copy of the Principals’ Creed. So stand tall, say the Principals’ Creed aloud, and let everyone know how proud you are to be a principal.

Principals’ Creed  We are dedicated to ensuring that every child in Americareceives a quality education.
We care about our country by caring deeply about its children.
We believe that no barrier should separate a child
from the best education a school can offer...
that neither race nor sex nor ethnic heritage nor geography nor social or economic statusmay be used to deny a child the opportunity to acquirea solid foundation in reading, writing, and mathematics...in critical thinking...and in the values of friendship, compassion, honesty, and self-esteem,We accept the challenge of the research showing thatquality education in every school depends on the expertise, dedication, and leadership of the principal of that school.